What an interesting morning! I was to talk about How to grow spiritually over the summer at a middle school (5th & 6th graders) club in Pasadena.
Before I go any further, I need to squash all your misconceptions about on campus Christian Clubs - that they are a "holy huddle", that it is all the Christian kids in one room and they all are solid church kids. Bah humbug! I find that the on campus Clubs attract any where from 30% to 90% non church kids. The presentations need to be about 90% on accepting Christ, how to grow and understanding your faith and finding a church.
So, as of yesterday, I had a fairly traditional presentation about bible reading, attending church and prayer as traditional methods of spiritual growth. I had a summer bible reading plan so that they could read thru the New Testament over the summer.
It was safe. It was easy. Matter of fact. God starts hitting me with questions: Name one time that you experienced spiritual growth while reading the Bible or praying. Or thru the act of attending church. That one is closer, because if you knew who I had to put up with while attending church, you would know I had to grow.
I can't think of a single Bible reading that cause growth in me. Or a single prayer, except when I got to the point of: Thy will be done and truly, that was a struggle of wills and preception.
What cause growth in you? the spirit quietly asks me. Now, I am terrified. Do I really have to talk about struggles and pain that bring growth to 5th and 6th graders?
How about the act of service? How about loving the unloveable? Doesn't that bring growth? How about being attacked by the church? Back stabbing? That sure brought a world of growth. What about living in need? Painful, but I have had to learn to trust God for what I need.
I'm driving and crying, going to this club, thinking about what has brought precious spiritual growth in my own life and how do I tell 5th graders about that? How the bible, prayer and church attendance provides the framework for growth thru suffering, love and service?
The good news and the bad news. The good news: God used a simple lesson on Spiritual growth to turn everything I believed about spiritual grow upside down. The Bad news: Not a single student showed up this morning. The good news: I was able to freely minister to the sponsors and they both seem to need it.
Growth. Who knew what I would learn this morning?
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